Ormoc shelter aid complainants turn out to be ineligible beneficiaries

ORMOC CITY, Leyte, Feb. 9 (PNA) -– The City Council’s Committee on Social Welfare, Senior Citizens, Women and Family conducted a meeting regarding complaints of beneficiaries who did not receive their share of the Emergency Shelter Assistance (ESA).

The ESA is a cash grant provided to families whose houses are either damaged or destroyed by super typhoon "Yolanda".

Beneficiaries under the “totally damaged” home category are supposed to receive PHP30,000 which was given in two releases in Ormoc. The first release worth PHP15,713.25 was given beginning June 2015 and the second worth PHP14,286.75 started last December.

Most of the complainants that attended the meeting were housing beneficiaries of Red Cross, making them ineligible to receive the ESA based on the guidelines of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) as contained in Memorandum Circular (MC) No. 24 series of 2014.

Under DSWD’s Memorandum Circular (MC) No. 24, “families listed in the DSWD-DFAC (Disaster Assistance Family Access Card) but have already received a permanent, full shelter assistance from international and non-government organizations, and from the private sector, said families shall no longer be eligible for ESA.”

City Legal Officer Ivan Verallo explained that during the first release on June 15, 2015, some of the complainants did not receive their housing units, making them eligible for the ESA. During the second release last December however, they already fell under the category of MC 24 Section VII no. 4.

Verallo said he already met and explained to the complainants their situation. They told him that they have some neighbors who are housing beneficiaries like them, but still received the second release. 

When asked however to identify those neighbors, the complainants were hesitant to give names.

Former DSWD regional director Nestor Ramos earlier said that giving ESA to unqualified families is considered technical malversation for which the releasing officer can be charged. “The city is willing to release the money to you if not for the DSWD guidelines,” Verallo told the complainants.

He added: “The Red Cross even told me, what do they need the ESA for where they are entitled to only PHP 30,000 when what we are giving them is worth PHP 80,000 - PHP 100,000?” Verallo said they will ask permission from DSWD OIC Director Restituto Macuto to release the ESA to housing beneficiaries.

Verallo warned that they will, upon DSWD’s order, initiate legal action against housing beneficiaries who received the ESA, adding that there are ways and means to do so even if the money is already spent. ESA recipients were made to sign an affidavit holding them liable if it is proven they are not qualified beneficiaries based on MC 24.

Verallo also informed they are studying if the excess amount from the unclaimed ESA can be given to qualified beneficiaries whose names, for one reason or another, did not make it to the master list. Other municipalities were made to remit the surplus amount to DSWD.

“Based on our knowledge, other municipalities remitted the surplus to DSWD. But we would rather give it to the people. So if DSWD approves our request, that would be a very good news because we will release the excess amount,” Verallo remarked.

However, this would mean another round of screening as the number of beneficiaries who claim to have not received the ESA have reached more than 10,000. “But we cannot do anything anymore if DSWD instructs us to return the surplus as what other municipalities did,” added Verallo. (PNA)
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